Are you frustrated with those who buck the system? Are you distant from those whom you think are flat out wrong? Are you disappointed over the ones God has left in your life? Are you discouraged by the ways people treat you? Your husband? Your children? Your friends? What do we do with what happens to us every day of our life. What stirs deeply in us...and just what is underneath that behavior? Do we shove it down and don't pay attention to the meanness within our heart whether we lash back or let it just linger within or leave it alone. Matt 18:35 - "Forgive your brother from your heart."
Rebekah couldn't forgive...she wanted what she wanted more than what God wanted and she set up her own son. Gen 27:5
Esau couldn't forgive...he wanted what he wanted more than what God allowed when his own mother and brother plotted deception against him. Gen 27:41. Esau hated his brother Jacob for what he did. Sounds unbelievable...but wait, do we harbor a speck of hate/disdain/disgust for anyone?
No matter what the sin of hate or deception or even murder, God is at work in them and in you and me. Giving dreams: 27:16 "Surely the LORD is in this place and I did not know it." God is moving in your own life that maybe you don't even know yet.
Jacob called the place of his dream, Bethel---the place of God. May we find our Bethel this day. Sinners and sojourners, just like Jacob, searching for the Sovereign Still. Actually, He is looking for you in your dilemmas and dreams and day-to-day offenses. He longs to make Himself known to you ~ Isaiah 30:18.
This isn't about changing our behavior. It's about God changing our heart. So, what does it mean to truly forgive from your heart today?
In my own life, I would go so far as to say unforgiveness is the root of 90% of my bad behavior. I search my heart and believe I've taken care of business only to find another root taken hold. Just like Esau, it stems from selfishness and too much concern for my own welfare most often. Harboring unforgiveness is a sin-sick matter that can make us physically ill, exhausted, and negative. Matthew 18:35 is a prescription for our own health and a command for our own good. Know something (not so) funny? I can hold onto something like this that I know is detrimental not only for me but for my relationships with others, and most importantly, it is what separates me from God.
ReplyDeleteSearch my heart, Lord, and uproot this unforgiveness. Cleanse my heart to see more of Your goodness. Have mercy on me, and help me open the wounds of unforgiveness to receive Your healing Touch of forgiveness and wholeness. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.